New law mandates drug tests for employees, drivers, marriage applicants and athletes
Dubai: Kuwait’s Cabinet has approved a comprehensive new anti-narcotics law that introduces random drug testing for military and civilian employees, mandatory testing for driver’s licence and marriage applicants, and strict penalties for drug-related crimes, including the death penalty in the most serious cases.
According to the state-run news agency KUNA, the revised law — approved at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al Abdullah Al Sabah — will be submitted to Emir Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah for endorsement.
The amended legislation consolidates two previous laws — Law No. 74 of 1983 on combating narcotics and Law No. 48 of 1987 on psychotropic substances — to form a unified framework that closes procedural loopholes blamed for past acquittals.
It establishes tougher penalties, including execution or life imprisonment for traffickers, dealers and intermediaries, alongside fines of up to two million dinars.
‘Comprehensive war on drugs’
Described by officials as a “comprehensive war on drugs,” the revised law introduces preventive, therapeutic and punitive provisions unprecedented in other jurisdictions. It authorises random drug tests for public employees, both military and civilian, to ensure continued fitness for service.
